Method and system for generating thumbnails for video files

• US 8,006,201 B2
• Filed: 09/03/2008
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Bhattacharya, Shubham Baidyanath
• Primary Examiner(s): HAILU, TADESSE
• Application Number:
  US12/203,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20090064048A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,084 Days
• Field of Search: 715/838, 715/825, 715/716, 715/719, 715/722
• US Class Current: 715/838
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/105 of operating discs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/34 Indicating arrangements indicating means incorporated in magazine or cassette G11B23/046 and G11B23/0875; indicating measured values in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23406 involving management of server-side video buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/40 Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44004 involving video buffer management, e.g. video decoder buffer or video display buffer
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8153 comprising still images, e.g. texture, background image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/85 on discs or drums
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/8227 the additional signal being at least another television signal

Abstract

A method for generating thumbnails for video files includes receiving one or more parameters associated with a plurality of thumbnails to be displayed simultaneously and a plurality of frames for each thumbnail. The plurality of frames for each thumbnail is extracted from one or more video files. The frames for each thumbnail are stored in a corresponding buffer and/or can be displayed by retrieval from the buffer. The plurality of frames for each thumbnail can be displayed simultaneously. A device includes one or more decoders for decoding one or more video files, a processor for generating a plurality of thumbnails from the one or more video files by extracting a plurality of frames for each thumbnail using one or more parsers, and a storage unit in communication with the processor for storing the plurality of frames for each thumbnail.

Claims

1. A method for generating thumbnails for video files, the method comprising:

receiving one or more parameters associated with a plurality of thumbnails to be displayed simultaneously and a plurality of frames for each thumbnail;

extracting a plurality of frames for each thumbnail from one or more video files;

storing the plurality of frames for each thumbnail in a corresponding buffer;

enabling display of the plurality of frames for each thumbnail;

retrieving the plurality of frames for each thumbnail from the corresponding buffer; and

displaying the plurality of frames for each thumbnail simultaneously;

determining one or more additional thumbnails for subsequent display;

extracting the plurality of frames for each additional thumbnail for said subsequent display;

storing the plurality of frames for each additional thumbnail for subsequent display in a memory;

wherein the determining one or more additional thumbnails comprises;

receiving a total number of thumbnails to be displayed;

checking whether a total number of thumbnails to be displayed is greater than the number of thumbnails to be displayed simultaneously; and

identifying the one or more additional thumbnails for subsequent display from remaining thumbnails based on a user action, wherein the remaining thumbnails comprise thumbnails present in the total number of thumbnails to be displayed but not in the thumbnails to be displayed simultaneously.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the extracting comprises:

initializing one or more parsers for the one or more video files.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the extracting comprises:

initializing one or more decoders for the one or more video files.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the extracting further comprises:

parsing a video file of the one or more video files for each thumbnail; and

decoding the plurality of frames of the video file for each thumbnail.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the extracting further comprises:

sizing the plurality of frames for each thumbnail based on dimensions associated with each thumbnail.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the extracting further comprises:

compressing the plurality of frames for each thumbnail.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the extracting comprises:

selecting the plurality of frames for each thumbnail for extraction.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the extracting comprises:

adjusting the number of frames for each thumbnail for extraction.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the storing comprises:

storage of a subset of the plurality of frames in said corresponding buffer.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an input to play a video associated with a thumbnail; and

playing the video associated with the thumbnail.

11. A device comprising:

one or more decoders for decoding one or more video files;

a processor for generating a plurality of thumbnails from the one or more video files by extracting a plurality of frames for each thumbnail using one or more parsers; and

a storage device in communication with the processor for storing the plurality of frames for each thumbnail, whereby the plurality of frames for each thumbnail can be accessed from the storage unit;

wherein said processor being configured for;

determining one or more additional thumbnails for subsequent display;

extracting the plurality of frames for each additional thumbnail for said subsequent display;

storing the plurality of frames for each additional thumbnail for subsequent display in a memory; and

wherein the processor determining one or more additional thumbnails comprises;

receiving a total number of thumbnails to be displayed;

checking whether a total number of thumbnails to be displayed is greater than the number of thumbnails to be displayed simultaneously; and

identifying the one or more additional thumbnails for subsequent display from remaining thumbnails based on a user action, wherein the remaining thumbnails comprise thumbnails present in the total number of thumbnails to be displayed but not in the thumbnails to be displayed simultaneously.

12. The device of claim 11, further comprising:

an input device in communication with the processor for providing inputs for generating the plurality of thumbnails; and

a display in communication with the processor for displaying the plurality of frames for each thumbnail.